Campuses across the country are temporarily closing in response to the coronavirus, encouraging students to go home and offering online classes to prevent the virus from spreading.
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – and other minority serving institutions (MSIs) – are no exception. But these schools face an extra set of concerns as they try to keep underrepresented students safe on tighter budgets than predominantly White institutions.
HBCUs have tackled coronavirus with a range of responses.
Many HBCUs are making the switch to online learning – at least for a while.
Hampton University, for example, shut down in-person classes after March 12, asking all students except international students to leave the premises.
Morgan State University canceled class for the remainder of the week last Wednesday and plans to switch to remote courses for at least two weeks after spring break.
Howard University is also moving online for two weeks after vacation, as are Florida A&M University and the Atlanta University Center, which includes Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine and Morris Brown College.
